Post by Forbes Africa

#FORBESAFRICA30Under30 Ndiilokelwa Nthengwe has always been driven by an unrelenting pursuit of justice. In 2020, she was a driving force behind a grassroots petition for abortion law reform in Namibia that garnered more than 60,000 signatures. She then co-founded the VCRC Health and Research Institute. “We started with little more than WhatsApp groups, handwritten manifestos, and late-night strategy calls,” Nthengwe tells FORBES AFRICA. “My motivation sprang from lived experiences—my own and those of countless women, girls, and LGBTQIA+ individuals whom the system had rendered invisible. I wanted to build more than a company; I aimed to create a movement that would redefine reproductive justice in Namibia.” The institute’s first formal policy submission to Parliament was made in October 2021, which Nthengwe says was a watershed moment because, for the first time in decades, lawmakers listened to “our evidence on the deadly impact of unsafe abortion, a reality that accounts for up to 16% of maternal deaths in Namibia”. “One of the most pivotal moments in the growth of VCRC came in August 2025, when we received a transformative grant of NAD 1 million ($60,000) from the European Union,” Nthengwe adds.